Volume 37 Number 7 • June 7, 2025
®
The Weekly News Source for Ranchers, Farmers and AgriBusiness Community • www.wylr.net
A Look Inside Check out upcoming summer events in this week’s calendar......................Page 6 UW Extension Education discusses first-calf heifer nutrition.......................Page 8 Heritage livestock breeds provide benefits to small farms...........................Page 9
Governor and First Lady address producers at annual event Gov. Mark Gordon and First Lady Jennie Gordon made a guest appearance at the 2025 Wyoming Cattle Industry Convention and Trade Show, hosted by the Wyoming Stock Grow-
ers Association (WSGA) in Laramie June 2-4. The two provided remarks during a banquet held at the Marian H. Rochelle Gateway Center on the second night of the event.
WHI update The First Lady was first to take the stage, offering an update on her highly successful program, the Wyoming Hunger Initiative (WHI).
She encouraged producers to consider participation in Food from the Farm and Ranch, a WHI subprogram which aims to end statewide hunger using the healthy, Please see WSGA on page 7
Lee Pitts outlines modernday technologies that take the fun out of ranching........... .................................Page 14
Quick Bits WGFD Reward The Wyoming Game and Fish Department is seeking information on 12 pronghorn illegally shot and left to waste north of Kemmerer in antelope hunt area 93. Kemmerer Game Warden Alex Poncelet received a report on April 27 from a member of the public who discovered multiple dead pronghorn while recreating on the Ham’s Fork Road north of Viva Naughton Reservoir. Callers can remain anonymous, and any information leading to an arrest and conviction may be eligible for a reward of up to $5,000 through the Wyoming Wildlife Protectors’ Association. Reports can be filed online at wgfd. wyo.gov.
Meeting The Wyoming Livestock Board (WLSB) has scheduled a public meeting for June 16 beginning at 8:30 a.m. at the State Capitol in Cheyenne. The meeting will also be livestreamed via Zoom. Topics to be discussed include approval of previous meeting minutes, the director’s update, a budget overview, animal health updates, brand inspection recording updates and other administrative board business and matters. For more information or to access the Zoom link, visit wlsb.state. wy.us/.
Workshop Through funding from the National Grazing Lands Coalition, the Wyoming Wool Growers Association (WWGA) will be offering a free public workshop on sustainable sheep grazing in the Intermountain West. The workshop will take place on July 11 in the Big Horn Mountains outside of Buffalo. Expert speakers will discuss post-fire grazing recovery, predator management and targeted grazing with sheep. For more information or to register, visit wyowool.com/grazingworkshop or contact Crane at alison@wyowool.com or 307-265-5250.
Honoring Selfless Leadership New endowment fund established in honor of WSGA’s Jim Magagna Wyoming Stock Growers Association (WSGA) Executive Vice President Jim Magagna has been at the helm for 27 years, and in honor of his hard work, decades of service and selfless contributions, the Jim Magagna Ranch Management and Ag Leadership Endowment Fund has been established. The endowment was announced by former National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) President Mark Eisele
from Cheyenne and University of Wyoming (UW) College of Agriculture, Life Sciences and Natural Resources Dean Kelly Crane during WSGA’s annual Summer Cattle Industry Convention and Trade Show, which was held at the UW Conference Center in Laramie June 2-4. Sparking an idea “As many of you know, we have been on a journey Please see FUND on page 4
Influential leader – Wyoming Stock Growers Association Executive Vice President Jim Magagna is a highly esteemed and influential leader adored by many in Wyoming's ag industry. His selfless contributions were recognized with the new Jim Magagna Ranch Management and Ag Leadership Endowment Fund. WYLR photo
College rodeo Wyoming well represented at 2025 CNFR Top collegiate rodeo athletes from all corners of the U.S. will converge at the Ford Wyoming Center in Casper for the 2025 College National Finals Rodeo (CNFR) June 15-21. The top two schools in each of the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association’s 11 regions will send full six-man or four-woman teams, and the top three scorers from each region in each of the nine events will make the trip to Casper, as well. Among those competing for a prestigious national champion title are a tough bunch of athletes representing the Central Rocky Mountain Region (CRMR) and the state of Wyoming. This year, the University of Wyoming (UW) will send two full rosters to the CNFR after an impressive regular season for the both the Cowboys and Cowgirls. The UW Men’s Rodeo Team swept the CRMR, finishing first with 5,445 points, which has them sitting 10th in the national standings as they enter finals week, while the UW Women’s Rodeo Team finished second in the region with 3,464.33 points, putting them fourth in the nation. Other Wyoming teams taking a full roster to this year’s finals are the Casper Please see CNFR on page 14
WSGA honors awardees The Wyoming Stock Growers Association (WSGA) wrapped up its Summer Cattle Industry Convention and Trade Show on June 4 with an awards luncheon to honor a handful of outstanding individuals. This year, the convention was held at the University of Wyoming (UW) Conference Center in Laramie June 2-4. Clifford P. Hansen Memorial Scholarship To kick off the luncheon, Outgoing President Jack Berger announced the recipients of WSGA’s two $1,500 Clifford P. Hansen Memorial Scholarships. Established through contributions received in memory of the late Sen. Clifford Hansen, a well-known Teton County rancher, past president of WSGA and former governor of Wyoming, as well as other departed WSGA leaders, the scholarship recognizes outstanding college students pursuing an education in agriculture and/or natural resources. This year’s recipients were Emi Ramirez of Oak Creek, Colo., a UW senior majoring in animal science with a concentration in production and meat science, and Megan Sagner of Chugwater, a freshman at Sheridan College studying animal science, biology and farrier science with plans to obtain a degree in veterinary medicine and ultimately return to her family’s cow/calf operation. Upon receiving her scholarship, Sagner said, “I am extremely honored to receive this scholarship and to return to the industry that has done so much for me.” Ramirez wasn’t present to receive her award. Outstanding Range Professional Award Next, David Kane presented UW Extension Agriculture Please see AWARDS on page 16
Appeals court reinstates tariffs Just one day after a three-judge panel in the U.S. Court of International Trade blocked President Donald J. Trump’s sweeping global tariffs, a federal appeals court reinstated the duties on May 29. According to multiple sources, the original ruling threatened to delay and/ or kill tariffs on imports from the majority of the nation’s trading partners, as well as some additional tariffs on goods from Canada, Mexico and China, whom Trump accused of facilitating the flow of fentanyl into the U.S. However, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ruled the Constitution does not give the president authority to levy taxes and tariffs and that Trump
had exceeded his authority in invoking the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, which is intended to address threats during national emergencies. Ultimately, the federal court placed a pause on the lower court’s ruling to give them time to consider the government’s appeal and asked the plaintiffs in both cases to respond by June 5 and the administration by June 9. According to a May 29 Reuters article by Dietrich Knauth and Sarah Marsh, administration officials seemed undeterred, noting they expect the appeal to prevail or they will simply employ other presidential powers to ensure the tariffs go into effect.
periodical
periodical
Please see TARIFFS on page 10